To start the 2019 season, the Lakers field hockey team looks to use an even and spread attack.
Last season Oswego State finished fifth in the SUNYAC with a 6-10 record. They scored a subpar 2.06 goals per game and finished dead last in the conference with 33 goals total. Their leading scorer in 2018 was Katie Reynolds, who scored almost half of the teams goals with 15. Only three other players on the roster had more than two goals. The only player remaining in a Lakers uniform is sophomore Alyssa DeMichael, who was the second leading scorer with eight goals. In total, Reynolds and DeMichael accounted for 70% of the Lakers’ goals last season. However, the first four games of the season have shown that this year is going to be quite different.
“We are going to be able to have a lot more high scoring games,” Riley Mallett said. “A lot of our girls are offensive and are capable of scoring multiple goals per game.”
It is only a small sample size, but through the first four games the Lakers already have four players who have two or more goals, matching their total number from last year. The Lakers are averaging 3.00 goals per game and have moved the ball around nicely. Nine players on the roster have scored this season, while only eight Lakers scored all of last season. The majority of these goals came in a 12-0 win against Wells College, a team they beat 6-0 last season. The offense appears to have a different feel to it this year, and the team definitely made offense a point of emphasis when looking towards the future.
“It just goes back to recruiting,” said coach Heather Moore. “We recruited a lot of forwards and midfielders, so I think that just naturally adds to the fact that we are having more people shooting more frequently.”
The Lakers have eight freshmen on the roster this year, and six are midfielders or forwards. Three out of the eight freshmen have scored for the Lakers this season. Nobody has come in and made more impact than freshman forward Annie O’Neill from New City. O’Neill has four goals and eight points early on, both of which lead the team.
“I just worked really hard all summer,” O’Neill said. “I really wanted it. I’m really happy with how I’ve been playing.”
O’Neill scored two of her first four goals in the 12-0 game against Wells College, with the other two coming in her previous two games. She was shut out against Marywood College, as were the rest of the Lakers. The team only managed two shots the entire game in the 3-0 loss. Moore has recognized O’Neill’s good play.
“She’s very steady, so she’s in the right spot at the right time and has been getting some really great feeds from her teammates,” Moore said. “She has really good finesse. When she’s handling the ball, she’s able to get around some defenders so now we’re trying to work on making that even better moving forward.”
There is a different sense among the Oswego State locker room. Three of the four leading scorers last season graduated. Despite this, the Lakers have grown into a more complete team.
“I feel like as a whole, everybody wants to win a lot,” Mallett said. “Everybody is willing to work really hard and be able to get some of those wins against those tougher teams. I feel this year everyone has a collective mindset of just wanting to win.”
Photo by William Rogers | The Oswegonian
